CALGARY, Alberta - Patrick Marleau began the season at left wing on a line with center Joe Thornton, but Sharks Coach Ron Wilson's experiment lasted only three games.

"You evolve as a team as you go," Wilson said at the time.

That evolution has come full circle. As part of his rapid-fire line shuffling in the past two victories over Calgary, Wilson has reunited Thornton and Marleau.

"Patty's going and Joe struggled a little bit getting room because the people he's been playing with weren't playing very well," Wilson said as the Sharks prepared for today's Game 6.

Marleau was on the ice when Thornton scored with 9.4 seconds left to give San Jose a victory Tuesday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The pair, along with right wing Jonathan Cheechoo, were together again for two goals Thursday night in the 4-3 win at HP Pavilion.

Wilson said center Joe Pavelski's development this season gave him the option of moving Marleau alongside Thornton.

"I think Pavs is at a point now where he can make people around him better," the coach said. "It's not Patty making Joe Pavelski better, but Joe (Pavelski) can handle things on his own and help another guy get better."

• Wilson refused to add any pressure to his team to end their first-round series tonight in Game 6.

"If it happens to go seven gams, it goes seven games," he said. "We just have to find a way to win the series. We've got to win one of the next two games.

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• The Sharks lead the series 3-2, but the Flames are winning the battle of special teams.

San Jose's penalty kill topped all teams during the regular season, but was at the bottom of the postseason rankings through Friday's games with a 72.2 percent success rate; Calgary's penalty kill was ranked eighth of the 16 teams at 83.3 percent.

Calgary's power play is tops in the playoff at 27.8 percent; San Jose is ranked ninth with a man advantage at 16.7 percent.